Dr. James MacCracken, our fourth executive director, oversaw huge growth in the number of sponsors and children served. In an 18-month period ending in 1983, he led a successful campaign to increase the number of assisted children from 260,000 to 325,000. Also, Christian Children’s Fund’s annual budget doubled during the seven years of his tenure. He was the first head of CCF who came from outside the organization; Dr. MacCracken was the vice president of programs for Save the Children Federation before arriving here.

Dr. MacCracken said upon his retirement in 1988 that he was pleased with the “sense of joy” and the “common vision” at CCF during his years here. “That’s the thing I feel proudest of,” he said. “If we can’t care for each other, how can we care for a child halfway round the world?”